Los Valles de Cañazas

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Business

Overview

Los Valles de Cañazas is located in the biodiverse region of Veraguas and celebrated its transition with Global Brigades in May of 2021. Community members have access to credit through an established and thriving community bank which will support continued investment in local businesses and home improvement projects for families within the community. People in Los Valles de Cañazas are primarily dedicated to agriculture and the sale of artisanal crafts. The community is on the wait-list for eventual Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Panama.

Corregimiento: Veraguas
District: Cañazas

Homes : 70
Population : 250
Water System : No
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Post : Yes
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 50
Education in the Community : Up to 9th grade
Distance from Lodging Facility : 20 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Los Valles de Cañazas but has not yet begun with the Medical Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, mobile clinics and Community Health Workers training will start as soon as feasible.

Distance from Nearest Health Center : 20 kms
Community Health Workers : Yes
Common Illnesses in Children : Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection, Fever
Common Illnesses in Adults : Hypertension, Diabetes, High Cholesterol

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:

GB Panama’s Medical Dental team started the Agentes Comunitarios en Salud or ACeS program in 2016. “Agentes” from 10 communities in East Panama and Darien were Panama’s first community health workers. Los Valles de Cañazas is now one of the communities that are training 1 Community Health Worker who is fairly close to completing all training and starting visiting community members with health needs.

Some of the CHW’s primary responsibilities include:

  • Promoting healthy practices and maintaining contact with GB staff about their progress
  • Performing First Aid in the case of an emergency
  • Managing the Patient Referral cases of the community
  • Promoting involvement with other GB programs such as Human Rights, Public Health and Microfinance workshops
  • Recording and monitoring members of their respective communities who:
    • Are pregnant
    • Have a chronic disease
    • Are children under five
      years old.

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Los Valles de Cañazas but has not yet begun with the Dental Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, mobile clinics will start as soon as feasible.

Distance to Nearest Health Center : 20 kms
Community Health Workers : Yes
Common Illnesses in Children : Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection, Fever
Common Illnesses in Adults : Hypertension, Diabetes, High Cholesterol

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

LOS VALLES DE CAÑAZAS’ ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Community members in Los Valles de Cañazas lack access to financial resources within the community. The majority of community members do not have bank accounts and there are only limited informal forms of credit available.  For example, a person could obtain ‘credit’ at a local store by buying something now and paying later, simply adding it to their ‘tab,’ but there would be no formalized credit transaction. Larger financial institutions do not approve loans to community members without a fixed income, making it difficult for local micro-enterprises to grow and thrive. Most community members cite the distance to the nearest bank as the main discouragement to having a personal savings account. Even if individuals wish to travel the distance, not all community members can become members of these financial institutions–cooperatives require monthly membership fees, savings accounts often require a fixed income, and the cost of travel provides an additional barrier.

Local Businesses : Convenient stores
Economic Activities : agriculture, artisan goods, day laborer
Community Bank : Yes

LOS VALLES DE CAÑAZAS’ MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

The Global Brigades Business and Microfinance Team trained a new Community Bank in Los Valles de Cañazas in May 2021. This encouraged the opening of more savings accounts, growth of seed capital, and upon the completion of six months of executive board training, the Community Bank began giving out loans to bank members to spur economic growth and home improvement projects.

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature

The Largest Movement for Global Health and Holistic Development

“Global Brigades” refers to one or more Global Brigades entities, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity; “Global Brigades, Inc.,” “Global Brigades Health and Development,” “Global Brigades UK,” “GBO Ghana,” “Asociacion Global Brigadas de Honduras,” and “Fundacion Brigadas Globales de Panama”. Global Brigades Health and Development (“Global Brigades Canada”) is a federally registered Canadian charity independent from Global Brigades Inc.

Guidestar 2021